Hōshō-class escort carrier
The Hōshō-class escort carrier is a class of light carrier in use with the Imperial Navy. Designed to provide basic fighter protection for small formations, to protect civilian shipping and to support terrestrial combat actions, the Hōshō-class is the smallest of the Imperial Navy's carrier classes and carries a spacecraft complement of just 29 combat craft and two shuttles. Notably, the Hōshō-class is one of the few spaceships able to enter planets' atmospheres, allowing it to support ground combat as a mobile airbase closer to the front, or act as a stopover for aerospacecraft moving between planetary surfaces and space in a similar manner as the Oshika-class aerial platform. Design The Hōshō is designed to be able to act as a flying wing, complete with control surfaces, to aid it in its atmospheric cruising capabilities. It has no means of landing on planetary surfaces. The majority of the craft consists of its long wings, which make it over 1.4 kilometres wide. These wings also hold some storage areas. Three wings are stacked atop each other, making the Hōshō-class similar to a massive triplane, with the middle wing housing the hangar. The bridge and most of the crew facilities are located on the upper wing. Two flight decks are installed. The launch deck consists of a short forward deck for mid-air magnetic rail-assisted launching of craft, while the recovery deck is a longer affair stacked atop the hangar bay and equipped with arrestor wires and electromagnetic emergency "craft catchers". The recovery deck is able to launch aircraft as well, spanning the length. Elevators bring craft from the recovery deck to the hangar, while the hangar opens directly to the short launch deck. Like most Imperial warships, a fusion generator powers the Hōshō-class. Combat wing Due to the concept of the Hōshō-class as an atmosphere-capable craft, the carrier had to be made as light as possible. This has unfortunately resulted in the Hōshō-class carrying the smallest combat wing of any of the Imperial Navy's purpose-built carriers, with some non-carrier warships such as the Yamatai-class heavy battleship or the Imperial Destiny carrying more combat craft. The Hōshō's permanent combat wing typically includes 29 craft. The basic configuration includes 21 fighters in three flights of seven each and eight bombers in two flights of four. Two shuttlecraft are usually carried as well. When the craft is operating solely in a zero-G environment, the combat wing can be expanded with space for 14 more fighters or 8 more bombers. In addition, depending on the mission type the Hōshō-class may also find itself carrying other types of aerospacecraft, with the ability to carry 15 dropships. During airborne activities within planets' atmospheres, the Hōshō may find itself serving varying numbers of aircraft such as helicopters and VTOLs. Armament Very lightly armed, the Hōshō's weapons systems are geared towards self-defence, though offensive actions could be undertaken with great risk. Eight Yamabushi CIWS units provide protection from incoming enemy missiles and spacecraft. 192 Type-7 light all-purpose missiles in quadruple mounts provide the Hōshō with slightly stronger firepower to deal with threats larger than enemy spacecraft, such as patrol ships, corvettes or ground-based anti-aircraft batteries. Twelve Type-86 anti-ship missiles are also often available to ward off vessels of similar size to and larger than the Hōshō. Propulsion and performance Propelled by 16 Same-Kakurega 5th Wave thrusters, which are multipurpose fusion-based thrusters, the Hōshō is able to move at a respectable speed through space, allowing it to keep up with the transport ships it is typically tasked to protect. In atmospheres, it has a maximum airspeed of 730 km/h. Like all carriers and major warships, the Hōshō-class is rated for inter-sector FTL travel. See also *Akagi-class supercarrier: Super-heavy carrier. OOC One of the rare starships I would allow to enter atmospheres, thanks to the handwave-friendly "wings" of the design. As always, science is not even in the backseat. It's a Banshee from Sento Yosei Yukikaze. Category:Warships Category:Yamatai Imperial Navy Category:Carriers Category:Spaceships